Soil water holding capacity (Bouwman et al.)

It was derived from information on soil type and texture compiled by L. Zobler (1986) at a one-by-one degree latitude/longitude resolution from the FAO-Unesco Soil Map of the World (1974). The data set was developed in 1990 at the NASA/Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS), Columbia University, New York City by A. F. Bouwman of the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (or RIVM; Bilthoven, the Netherlands) and scientists at NASA/GISS.

The data set has the following legend and values (after Bouwman et al., 1986, p. 570): Soil TEXTURE CLASSES with Soil Storage Capacity (in mm.; some (Soil Type) examples equal to values in digital file) ____________________________ ________________________________ (Rendzinas, Lithosols, Rankers) 15 (FAO Soil codes 22, 40, 85) 1-COARSE (e.g. Sand) 40 2-COARSE/MEDIUM (Vertisols) 60 (FAO Soil codes 86,87) 3-COARSE/FINE (vertic Cambisols) 80 (FAO Soil code 13) 3-COARSE/MEDIUM/FINE (Ferralsols) 80 (FAO Soil code 55) 3-MEDIUM (vertic Luvisols) 80 (FAO Soil codes 23-28) 4-MEDIUM/FINE 100 5-FINE (Andosols) 120 (FAO Soil codes 81-84) 6-ORGANIC 60 Oceans (250) Ice (251) The Soil Water Holding Capacity data set is a raster data file having a spatial resolution of one degree latitude/longitude, and consists of 180 rows (lines) by 360 columns (elements/pixels/samples) of data.